Dental dismay leading to a CNC machine

Thursday evening, a chunk of something popped off one of my teeth while I was flossing. The gap between that tooth and the next one over had been catching floss and shredding it for a couple weeks, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. (I knew I had a dental appointment coming up in another couple weeks, so I figured it would keep until then. Guess not.)

I called my dentist's office and left a message telling them what happened, and asking that they fit me in at earliest opportunity. 7 AM Friday, I got a call from the dentist office: could I make it in for 8:30? I could, and did, with 15 minutes leeway.

Turns out, the bit that popped off was part of an onlay I'd had for ten years. The rest was still attached to the tooth. My dentist said that the reason it hadn't lasted much longer was because I grind or clench my teeth — which I do. I have a nightguard, even, but apparently that wasn't enough.

The last two onlays I had installed (yes, I've not been kind to my teeth; I'm a lot better about that now) took a week or two to turn around. Once I heard that I'd broken an onlay, I was expecting the same. I was pleasantly surprised that they now had the ability to make them in-house. I got the pertinent teeth imaged by a fancy software suite and an odd probe (it was a solid metal thing, and it was warm), which I eventually got to see on-screen. Then the bonus: getting to watch their in-office CNC machine carve the new onlay out of a block of porcelain. (Yes, it uses a lot of water — based on signs nearby, recycled — in the process.)

Given the beginning of a chunk of something popping out when I flossed, having it fixed and being on my way to work before noon the next day was a pretty good end.